Best budget smartphone 2019: the top cheap mobiles around

We take a look at the best cheap phones on the market

There are loads of cheap phones on the market that are pretty fantastic – and if you're looking for the best budget handset for you right now, we've got just the list for you.

At TechRadar we don't just review fancy new powerhouses, we look at mid-range and affordable devices too, and we've found that a lot of the time, you can spend less money without getting a rubbish handset.

So we wrote this round-up of the best of the bunch, with all the best cheap phones on the market on the list somewhere, so if you want to get the most affordable smartphone these are the devices you should be looking at.

Best phones by brand

Don't be put off by the title of 'best cheap phones', as it doesn't mean 'bad phones that aren't as bad as the other bad phones' as it may once have done, back in the day when it was a warning against poor build quality, slow performance, terrible screen resolution and horrible cameras.

Bear in mind: when it comes to defining a 'cheap' phone, we've used £200 as the cut off point. That might be a little meaty for some, so we've made sure there are some lower-cost models in the list too, but when the above brands all are pushing towards the £1000 mark, you can see that 'cheap' means something rather different now.

If you already have a favourite budget smartphone brand that you're interested in, you might also be interested in our round-ups of the best Motorola phones, Nokia phones, and LG phones as well as this list.

The Honor 10 Lite is a little unlucky to find itself second in our best budget smartphone round-up, as it can make a strong case for being first as it's almost identical to the P Smart (2019).

If you're a frequent Snapchatter or selfie addict the 24MP front-facing camera on the Honor 10 Lite is the one for you.

If you're thinking "isn't there a Honor 20 Lite out?" you're totally right, but there's very little difference between that and the Honor 10 Lite, save the price tag, so we're keeping the older device up here for now.

Sporting an eye-catching and robust design, along with a bright capacious screen, decent speakers, generous specifications and a powerful chipset, the Realme 3 Pro really does have an odd character of its own.

Though its software design might be divisive, it has no major issues. It has a class-leading camera for the price point, along with dependable stamina and the handy option of very fast charging.

Xiaomi should be proud, the Redmi Note 7 is a real achievement - one that puts many other smartphone manufacturers to shame.

It's difficult to find many other phones than can offer what the Redmi Note 7 does at its price point, and as long as you can look past the software with a few minor niggles and the services it tries to push, you'll be happy with your purchase.

You’re unlikely to find many more compelling phones than the Moto G7 Play at its rock-bottom price. It’s well constructed, slim, has zippy internals, the camera is good when you factor in all the shooting modes and it lasts a full day.

The lack of NFC is a bit of a disappointment, but if that doesn’t phase you and you’re not put off by the clunky looking notch and practical design, go forth and pick one up, you won’t regret it.

You can get the Moto G6 for less in the UK right now, with this great Amazon Prime Day deal.

Moto G6 (64GB):£179.99£139.99 at AmazonMotorola's G range are always reliable budget smartphones, and although the Moto G6 has been overshadowed by the Moto G7, that just means it's even more affordable. With £40 off, it's now a steal.View Deal

The Moto G6 is no-longer the best budget smartphone, but it's still a great buy for those looking for value for money.

It may not feel or run like a flagship phone, but it’s not pretending to be one. The Moto G6 offers a lot of solid features, plus extras including some fun camera features, fast charging and it all adds up to make one of the best budget handsets on the market.

Motorola has been a class-leader at the budget end of the mobile for a few years, and the pure Android software and solid build of the Moto G6 ensures you get a top smartphone experience without having to break the bank.